Thrasher Bridge over TVA’s Chickamauga Dam will close to traffic beginning the evening of Thursday, to allow crews to repair roadway expansion joints.
The closure will be from approximately 8 p.m. on Thursday, until approximately 6 a.m. on Monday, June 23, subject to suitable weather.
TVA worked with the Tennessee Department of Transportation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to develop a repair plan that provided the greatest degree of safety for motorists and repair workers while minimizing repair times. The schedule also will avoid holiday weekends or major area events, such as recently completed Riverbend Festival.
Southbound motorists traveling on Tennessee Highway 153 will be diverted onto Dupont Parkway and northbound traffic onto Amnicola Highway. All vehicles will cross the river on the C.B. Robinson Bridge. The total detour is less than 1.5 miles.
Signs and placards will direct local access to Lakeshore Drive for both north- and southbound traffic:
- Northbound traffic on Highway 153 will follow the detour, exit Dupont Parkway at North Access Road, turn right off the exit ramp and follow north access to Lakeshore Drive.
- Southbound traffic on Highway 153 will drive past Dupont Parkway and exit at Lakeshore Drive before the dam, as usual.
Multiple expansion joints on the north end of the bridge have degraded over time and need to be replaced. Additional concrete work also will be done to ensure the continued safe operation of the bridge for years to come.